Pete Docter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pete Docter
Docter at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Born	Peter Hans Docter (1968-10-09) October 9, 1968 (age 56) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer animator voice actor
Years active	1985–present
Employer	Pixar Animation Studios (1990–present)
Spouse(s)	Amanda Docter
Children	2
Awards	Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Up (2009) Inside Out (2015) Soul (2020)
Signature

Peter Hans Docter, born on October 9, 1968, is an American filmmaker and animator. He is currently the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at Pixar Animation Studios, a role he has held since 2018.

Docter has directed some of Pixar's most famous animated movies, including Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020). He has been nominated for nine Academy Awards (also known as Oscars). He won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature three times for Up, Inside Out, and Soul. He has also won six Annie Awards and a BAFTA Children's Film Award. Pete Docter describes himself as "a geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons."

Early Life and Animation Dreams

Pete Docter was born in Bloomington, Minnesota. His mother taught music, and his father directed choirs. Pete grew up as a quiet kid who liked to work by himself. He often played by a creek near his house, pretending to be Indiana Jones.

Even though his sisters became professional musicians, Pete was not very interested in music. He learned to play the double bass and even played it for the soundtracks of Monsters, Inc. and Up.

How Pete Learned to Draw

Pete went to Nine Mile Elementary School and John F. Kennedy High School. He taught himself how to draw cartoons. He made his own flip books and short animated movies using a family camera. He once said that he liked animation because it was like "playing God," bringing characters to life.

Some of his biggest inspirations were famous cartoon director Chuck Jones, Walt Disney, and cartoonist Jack Davis.

College and First Steps

After high school, Pete spent about a year at the University of Minnesota, studying both philosophy and art. He then moved to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). There, he won a Student Academy Award for his short film called "Next Door." He graduated in 1990.

Pete had originally planned to work for Walt Disney Animation Studios. However, he received job offers from Pixar and from the creators of The Simpsons. At the time, Pixar was not very well known. Pete later said that choosing Pixar felt like a strange but right decision.

Pete Docter's Career at Pixar

Pete Docter in 2009, promoting the film Up

Before joining Pixar, Pete made three non-computer animated shorts: Next Door, Palm Springs, and Winter. These early films are now kept safe by the Academy Film Archive.

Joining the Pixar Family

Pete started at Pixar in 1990 when he was 21 years old. He was the tenth person to join the company's animation team and only the third animator. John Lasseter, one of Pixar's founders, asked Pete's former teacher to recommend good students. Pete felt right at home at Pixar. He said that growing up, many animators felt alone in their passion. But at Pixar, he found others who loved animation just as much.

Early Work and Big Ideas

Pete started with small tasks, but John Lasseter quickly gave him bigger roles. He helped write stories, animate, and even work on sound and music. He was one of the three main writers who came up with the idea for Toy Story. He even based parts of the character Buzz Lightyear on himself. He used a mirror on his desk to make faces while thinking about the character.

Pete was very interested in how characters develop. He was inspired by the movie Paper Moon. He liked how the movie focused completely on the characters.

Key Role in Pixar's Success

Pete Docter has been a very important part of many famous Pixar movies. These include Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, and Monsters, Inc.. He helped write the scripts for these films. He worked with other talented people like John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. Pete calls his colleagues at Pixar "wild stallions." He is also one of the five original members of the Pixar Braintrust, a group that helps develop stories for the films.

Directing Hit Movies

Pete Docter directed his first movie, Monsters, Inc., right after his first child, Nick, was born. He said that becoming a parent changed his life completely. This feeling of being "upside down" helped inspire the movie's story.

In 2009, he directed Up. He based the main character, Carl Fredricksen, partly on himself. Carl's desire to get away from crowds and think reminded Pete of his own feelings. After Up was a big success, Pete and other Pixar directors received a special award for their lifetime achievements at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.

Pete then directed Inside Out in 2015, which was also highly praised. His most recent film, Soul, was released on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, and was also a big hit.

In June 2018, Pete Docter became the Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios. This means he helps guide all the creative projects at the studio. In 2023, he received the Winsor McCay Award for his amazing contributions to animation.

Personal Life

Pete Docter is married to Amanda Docter. They have two children, Nicholas and Elie. Elie even had a small speaking part in Up. She was also the inspiration for the character Riley in Inside Out.

Pete is a big fan of anime, especially the work of Hayao Miyazaki. He admires how Miyazaki's animation shows "beautifully observed little moments of truth." He also enjoys movies from Pixar's competitor, DreamWorks. He believes that having different animation studios makes the industry healthier.

Pete Docter is a Christian, and he has said that his faith influences his work. However, he does not want to make movies that preach to people. He believes that movies should let people see themselves on screen, not be taught a lesson.

Filmography

Films

Shorts and series

Other credits

Awards and Nominations

Pete Docter has won many awards for his work in animation. Here are some of the most important ones:

Collaborators

Pete Docter often works with the same actors and crew members in his films. Here are some who have appeared in multiple movies he directed:

	Monsters, Inc.	Up	Inside Out	Soul
Mary Gibbs	N		N
Bob Peterson	N	N
John Ratzenberger	N	N	N
Frank Oz	N		N
Jeff Pidgeon	N	N
Himself	N	N	N
Danny Mann	N	N
Mickie McGowan	N	N
Josh Cooley		N	N
John Cygan		N	N
Ronnie del Carmen			N	N

See Also

• List of Pixar films
• List of Pixar staff